Mining companies told to listen to community concerns as new exploration era looms

Mining firms have been told they must heed the concerns of communities as the sector enters what industry leaders have described as a “renaissance” in Ireland.An industry conference heard a new era of mining looms as investors eye fresh sites and companies prepare to reopen closed operations. Prospecting licences have increased to 231, reversing a period of decline, and the Government is pumping millions of euro into exploration through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF). The Irish Minerals Industry Group, a lobby organisation, has recently formed with a start-up membership of over a dozen firms. It is pushing for faster permissions and reform of the system of royalties payable on extracted materials. READ MORESean Finlay, chairman of Geoscience Ireland, the enterprise support cluster for surveying, drilling and equipment supply firms, told the recent Minex conference in Trim, Co Meath, they were seeing a “renaissance in the Irish minerals sector”. However, Aileen Doran, geologist and sustainability consultant with Satarla, said the sector also carried a legacy that was not always viewed positively. “There are a lot of people with genuine concerns that don’t feel heard,” she said. “Often we are very bad at engaging with them and we tend to be quite dismissive and we don’t always acknowledge our negative legacies. We can’t pretend our history didn’t happen.” The problems with mines in Ireland have been well-documented. Contamination of land and water from operations in Silvermines, Co Tipperary, is still being addressed 30 years after the last mine closed. The Tynagh lead and zinc mine in Co Galway and the Avoca copper mine in Co Wicklow also left severe contamination when they closed in the early 1980s. A 2018 collapse at the Gyproc gypsum mine in Co Monaghan put roads and community facilities out of use for several years. [ A moonlit walk by the River Suck in Roscommon, where thinning flocks underline modern realitiesOpens in new window ]Meanwhile, new ventures are taking shape. Galmoy in Co Kilkenny and Lisheen in Co Tipperary produced lead, zinc and silver up to 2012 and 2015 respectively before they were closed and remediated to standards considered world-leading. Galmoy is now being reopened. Its owners, Shanoon Resources, are so confident a State mining licence is imminent, they have already begun construction on site. It is part-funded by the recently created Irish Minerals Fund, an investment vehicle anchored by €30 million in public money via the ISIF. Tynagh is also being re-explored by NorthMin Corporation, which has found fresh deposits. Finlay said on the same basis, Avoca “may warrant another look”.[ Lest there be any doubt: questions about climate change answeredOpens in new window ]In August, Gyproc began digging an open cast mine on the site of the 2018 collapse, and Boliden is also looking to expand operations. Two new exploration sites, the Minco owned Rapla in Co Laois and the Group Eleven owned Ballywire in Co Limerick, also show promise for lead, zinc, silver and copper. The former is backed by the ISIF via the Irish Minerals Fund. Conroy Gold, meanwhile, continues to report positively on the gold and antimony potential of its Clontibret site in Co Monaghan and there is strong interest abroad in lithium deposits in Carlow and Wicklow. In Northern Ireland, Dalradian wants to mine for gold and silver in the Sperrin Mountains. The hugely contentious project, which attracted 50,000 public objections, is entering its final days of a public planning inquiry.[ New Government investment accounts could generate up to €400m in fees for banksOpens in new window ]The enthusiasm around Ireland’s potential comes as the European Union looks to revitalise mining to ease its over-dependence on imports, particularly from China, for critical metals and minerals. “When we talk about the future of Europe, whether that’s renewable energy, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, space exploration or defence, we’re ultimately talking about industries that depend on the metals and mining sector,” said Paul Quirk, co-managing partner of the Irish Minerals Fund. Quirk said Ireland’s potential “extends well beyond zinc and lead”. “Over the past decade, exploration has targeted copper, gold, silver, lithium, tungsten, tin, tantalum, nickel, antimony, platinum and rare earth metals, as well as germanium, gallium and indium,” he said. Excitement in the industry has led to anxiety in community circles. A recent conference hosted by An Taisce heard a range of concerns from community groups and experts about the condition of existing facilities and the likely impacts of proposed new operations. Quirk said that “negativity never built a mine”. However, Aileen Doran said the industry must acknowledge the negatives when dealing with opposition.“We often come at it with the approach that, I’m going to tell you the positive benefits of mining and you’re going to change your mind, and then we act a bit surprised when no one changes their mind,” she said. “Mining is more than just the rocks, which I know some people don’t want to hear.”